Western Front
Many German trench raids on French.
Daylight air-raid by British on Stuttgart. 11 DH4s (1 lost, crew taken PoW) of No 55 Squadron attack Stuttgart Daimler motor works; formation attacked after bombing (1 fighter driven down). Same sequel after 9 DH4s hit Koblenz barracks (70 casualties on March 12).
France: Bombing causes mainly orderly 200,000-strong rail exodus from Paris (until April 6).
Members of the British Agriculture Directorate working to reclaim the former battlefields at the Somme for usable farmland: © IWM (Q 10280):
https://twitter.com/CenturyAgoToday...140243079004161
BEF GHQ Weekly Intelligence Summary: ‘…
the imminence of the [German] offensive in the Arras-St Quentin area has been confirmed …’.
Hindenburg orders Operation Michael (first phase of the Kaiserschlacht [Emperor’s Battle]) Germans begin diversionary operations and feints in various sectors including Champagne and Verdun.
A German 21-cm howitzer is towed for Operation Michael in position:
https://i1.wp.com/ww2-weapons.com/w...llung.jpg?ssl=1
Eastern Front
Austro-Hungarian/Bulgarian advance on Odessa continues.
Naval and Overseas Operations
Hospital ship
Guildford Castle torpedoed in Bristol Channel, but not sunk.
Adriatic: Emperor Charles makes 49-year-old Captain Horthy Rear-Admiral and Austrian C-in-C, 4 cruisers and 2 old battleships soon taken out of service to redeploy crews.
Italy: Younger Vice-Admiral Cusani (ex-CNS) appt Italian Fleet commander.
Asiatic and Egyptian Theaters
Palestine: British advance 3,000 yards on front of 12 miles astride Jerusalem-Nablus road.
Political, etc
Germany: Frank Wedekind, German playwright known for his influence on the development of epic theater and as a precursor to expressionism, passed away:
https://twitter.com/CenturyAgoToday...110057897938944
France: German prisoners of war at work in at the Saint-Etienne Locomotive Shops, France:
https://twitter.com/CenturyAgoToday...171452345733120
Pile of shoes worn out by American soldiers in Tours, France:
https://twitter.com/CenturyAgoToday...438188966006784
United States: Film
The Kaiser, the Beast of Berlin opens.
George von Lengerke Meyer, former U.S. Secretary of the Navy and ambassador to Italy and Russia, passed away:
https://twitter.com/CenturyAgoToday...049496296296449